Another snapshot in the 20th

While the state Board of Election is currently reporting — based on unofficial results — that the race in the 20th CD is a dead heat, an afternoon spent calling all 10 county boards reveals just how fluid the numbers are. As county commissioners complete their re-canvass of the machine count, the numbers are changing almost daily.

Some boards are as sure of their numbers as a New England shopkeeper; communicating with the Saratoga County board is like phoning the flaming deck of a sinking ship staffed by people who haven’t gotten enough sleep.

So with that caveat: Here’s what we know about both the machine count and the absentee ballots received so far (out of slightly more than 10,000 sent out).

Remember, the absentee ballots are not currently counted in any candidate’s tally, and you must, must, must (and once more for Irene) must not extrapolate votes for a specific candidate based on the party enrollments of absentee voters (given below). Republicans who received ballots could have voted for Murphy; overseas Democrats could have voted for Tedisco; both of them could have voted for Eric Sundwall and had their votes voided — it’s a tossup.